Michael Weatherly is officially back in NCIS Season 24, bringing Tony DiNozzo into the main series again more than a decade after he left the team.
Tony returns in the Season 24 premiere, “Wayward Son,” arriving in Washington, D.C. to open a satellite office for his private security firm. His new work puts him back in the orbit of McGee, Parker, Torres and the current NCIS team without simply sending him back to his old desk. CBS has also listed Weatherly with the Season 24 cast, making this much more than a surprise one-episode cameo.
The timing of his return is important too. Season 24 begins with NCIS dealing with the fallout from the shooting involving McGee’s son, while the team investigates a new threat against the Secretary of the Navy. Tony unexpectedly becomes part of that investigation.
And CBS material already confirms Weatherly appears beyond the premiere: official photos for Episode 2, “Clean Slate,” also feature Tony DiNozzo.
For longtime viewers, though, the bigger story may be what happens when Tony steps back into a team that has changed enormously since he left — especially his reunion with Timothy McGee.
Tony Returns in the Season 24 Premiere
The premiere is titled “Wayward Son,” and Tony walks back into the story at a moment when the team already has plenty to deal with.
Season 23 ended with the shooting involving Timothy McGee’s son, and the new episode picks up with the fallout from that incident. At the same time, NCIS is investigating a mysterious threat against the Secretary of the Navy.
That investigation is where Tony comes into the picture.
CBS describes him as an unexpected source of help who has recently arrived in D.C. to establish a new office for his security business.
It is a smart way to bring Tony back. He is no longer simply returning to his old desk and pretending the last decade never happened. He has built a life outside NCIS, but his new work gives him a believable reason to cross paths with the team again.
Tony and McGee Together Again
For many fans, the most interesting part of Weatherly’s return may be seeing Tony around McGee again.
When Tony left NCIS at the end of Season 13, McGee was still the younger agent who had spent years dealing with Tony’s jokes, nicknames and constant teasing.
A lot has changed since then.
McGee is now one of the longest-serving members of the team, a husband and father, and one of the people others rely on when things go wrong.
That makes their reunion different from a simple nostalgia moment.
Tony may still be Tony, but he is returning to an NCIS where McGee is no longer the junior agent standing beside him.
CBS has already released Season 24 premiere photos featuring Weatherly alongside members of the current team, including Gary Cole, Diona Reasonover and Wilmer Valderrama.
What Tony’s Return Means After NCIS: Tony & Ziva
Weatherly’s comeback also comes after NCIS: Tony & Ziva, the Paramount+ spinoff that reunited him with Cote de Pablo.
That series followed Tony and Ziva years after their original NCIS story, with the pair raising their daughter, Tali, and being pulled into another dangerous situation.
For now, however, CBS has not announced Cote de Pablo as part of the Season 24 NCIS cast.
That means Tony can return to the main series while his relationship with Ziva and their family life remain largely off screen — at least for the moment.
The Season 24 setup also avoids undoing Tony’s later story. Rather than making him an NCIS agent again, the show is bringing him back as someone with his own private security operation.
NCIS Looks Different Without Director Vance
Season 24 also begins during a period of change for the team.
The series is moving forward after the loss of longtime Director Leon Vance, while the current group continues to center around Parker, McGee, Torres, Knight, Palmer and Kasie.
CBS currently lists Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, Katrina Law and Gary Cole among the Season 24 cast, with Michael Weatherly also listed as Tony DiNozzo.
Tony therefore returns to a team that looks very different from the one he left behind.
Gibbs is gone.
Ducky is gone.
Vance is gone.
McGee remains one of Tony’s strongest connections to the NCIS he once knew.
That alone gives the reunion more weight than simply bringing back a familiar face.
A Full Tuesday Night of NCIS
Season 24 also arrives as CBS expands the franchise again.
The original NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m., followed by the new NCIS: New York at 9 p.m. CBS says the new series brings LL Cool J back as Sam Hanna, who returns to his hometown and joins the New York field office.
NCIS: Origins then follows, giving CBS a full Tuesday night built around the franchise.
For a show that first premiered in 2003, that is a pretty remarkable position to still be in.
And this fall, one of the people who helped make NCIS what it became is walking back through the door.
NCIS Season 24 premieres Tuesday, October 6 at 8/7c on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
